This invention relates to a device of the slide hammer type for splitting firewood.
Impact tools utilizing slide hammers have been known for some time as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,475,041 to Mattson which shows a wood chisel including a hollow stem and a weighted handle mounted on the stem. This tool is not adapted for splitting of firewood as shown by the screw cap used during an upward impact. The screw cap would eventually break in heavy duty work such as firewood splitting.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,050,095 to Prather shows a somewhat similar device. Again, the tool is relatively small and is not adapted for firewood splitting.
German Pat. No. 822,366 shows a chisel with a sliding hammer and a similar arrangement is shown in Italian Pat. No. 413,580. Other devices of the general type are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 881,538 to Bienk, U.S. Pat. 3,982,572 to Kortendick, U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,264 to Cross and U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,544 to Scott.
Many of these earlier devices are either ill-adapted for splitting firewood or incorporate structural deficiencies which would eventually result in failure of the device. For example, the constant impacting of the slide hammer on the downward stroke as the wood is split, or on the upward stroke to remove the splitting tip from the wood, may cause distortion in parts of the slide hammer. Such distortion can eventually cause the slide hammer to jam and prevent proper operation of the device. The use of threadedly connected or hollow impact parts could reduce the lifespan of a firewood splitting device.